Wayward Blog - Concert Review: Spoon at Liberty Hall, April 20

Spoon, with Olympic Size
Sunday, April 20
Liberty Hall
Review and Illustration by Grant Snider

Spoon makes consistently great albums, with critical response and commercial success building for each release. They’re one of few high-profile indie rock bands New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere-Jones could accuse of “musical miscegenation.” They even appeared on Saturday Night Live to promote Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga – the reason for this end-of-tour performance at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, only a few weeks removed from a tour-opening show in Kansas City. “We’ve come full circle,” frontman Britt Daniel quipped. With this kind of exposure, it’s doubtful they’ll ever be mistaken as a band consisting of the surviving members of The Lovin’ Spoonful.

Low expectations are sometimes wonderful. I’d seen Spoon twice before, both times in outdoor venues. I was impressed by their set list and album-like clarity, but their live shows seemed too inhibited. As it turns out, Spoon is best when heard within the tightest space possible. Some bands just aren’t well-suited for the festival circuit.

Olympic Size, a Kansas City octet, opened with dark, anthemic art rock. Billy Smith and Kirsten Paludan traded vocals, backed by violin and trombone in addition to the standard rock arsenal. Noting the age gaps among the band members, I imagined Olympic Size to be a collaboration between high school music and art teachers with some of their former students. In reality, it’s an assemblage of members from some of KC’s better-known bands: Roman Numerals, the Belles, and the Get Up Kids.

If there’s one thing a band’s commercial success guarantees, it’s better lighting. Dressed business casual in black, grey, and khaki, Spoon played over intense pastel glows and neon flashes of light. Spoon opened with “Don’t You Evah,” an infectious tune from its latest album. How infectious? Enough so that they played it twice: once to open the set, and once to open the encore. The encore version was given a plodding tempo and noted as the Ted Leo “I Want it Hotter Mix” from the Don’t You Evah EP. Despite the superficial differences, it was still the same damn song.

The acoustics in Liberty Hall were excellent, and Britt Daniel agreed, remarking, “It sounds really good in here.” It sounded like he was singing in the shower, in a very public, clothed sort of way. Many of the studio-induced sounds of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga were successfully recreated. Heavy vocal effects gave “The Ghost of You Lingers” a beautifully haunting quality, despite its lack of a looped harmony. The horn flourishes from “You’ve Got Yr Cherry Bomb” and “The Underdog” were replaced by Eric Harvey’s keyboards, maintaining the easygoing energy of the songs. Drummer Jim Eno resembled George Clooney crossed with Mr. Bean. And bassist Rob Pope is a Lawrence resident and former Get Up Kid.

Older material included the impeccable “Everything Hits at Once” (my favorite Spoon song), and the straightforward “I Summon You” (the only song I’ve ever learned on acoustic guitar). The first encore brought an inspired cover selection: the Clash’s “Hateful,” from London Calling. Those familiar with the tune (most had no X’s on their hands) made certain to at least mouth the words. A short, second encore concluded with a hectic rendition of “Small Stakes.” It was 10:30 sharp, exactly 1 hour, 30 minutes from when the band took the stage. The only performer I’ve seen with this uncanny clock-awareness is Bill Cosby. Apparently, Spoon’s calculated approach to music carries over to its live show.

Set List:

1. Don’t You Evah
2. The Beast and Dragon, Adored
3. Someone Something
4. Stay Don’t Go
5. The Delicate Place
6. The Ghost of You Lingers
7. Rhythm and Soul
8. Peace Like a River (Paul Simon Cover)
9. You’ve Got Yr Cherry Bomb
10. Cvantez
11. Don’t Make Me a Target
12. Eddie’s Ragga
13. I Turn My Camera On
14. Everything Hits at Once
15. I Summon You
16. The Underdog
17. Finer Feelings
18. Black Like Me